Parenteral set assembly and clamp for use therein



1963 J. R. NEHRING 3,100,486

PARENTERAL SET ASSEMBLY AND CLAMP FOR USE THEREIN Filed Aug. 22. 1960 6 INVENTOR.

A WWW/4% United States Patent 3,100,486 PARENTERAL SET ASSEMBLY AND CLAMP FGR USE THEREIN John R. Nehring, Linden, N.J., assignor to Berton, Dickinson and Company, Rutherford, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Aug. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 51,113 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-214) This invention relates to a structurally and functionally improved parenteral set assembly as well as a clamp for use in that assembly.

It is a primary object of the invention to furnish a structure of this nature which may be economically manufactured and assembled without employing skilled labor for this purpose.

A further object is that of designing an assembly which will function with complete efficiency and may-be readily employed by physicians and technicians.

With these and other objects in mind, reference is had to the attached sheet of drawings illustrating practical embodiments of the invention and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of one end of a parenteral set;

*FIG. 2 is a partly sectional and fragmentary view in enlarged scale showing details of the structure as present in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 and showing the manner in which parts of the set may be arranged;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of a clamp unit as employed in the preceding figures;

FIG. 5 shows an alternative form of clamp;

FIG. 6 illustrates the application of the clamp of FIG. 5 to a tube;

FIG. 7 is again a side elevation of a still further form of clamp unit;

FIG. 8 illustrates an alternate application of the clamp of FIG. 5 to a tube; and

FIG. 9 shows a still further alternate application of the clamp of FIG. 5.

Referring primarily to FIGS. 1 and 2 the numeral 10 indicates the tube of a parenteral set and which is preferably formed of vinyl or some other suitable type of plastic. Ordinarily, the ends of this tube will be connected to hollow needles of the venous and stopper-puncturing types. This will be especially true in the case of blood donor sets. Different types of cannula and other implements may obviously be thus connected.

In FIG. 1 a needle has been shown coupled to the end of tube 10. The needle assembly will. conveniently include a hub portion 11 over which the end of tube 10 is ensleeved. Beyond the hub portion a manipulating part 12 extends outwardly of the needle assembly. The hollow needle 13 projects outwardly from this part and terminates in a sharpened or point portion. Preferably the needle is enclosed within a sheath .14 to maintain the sterility of the assembly.

Thus, a structure is furnished in which the lumen of the needle is continued in a suitable passage within hub portion 11 and this passage in turn communicates with the bore of tube 10. After removal of the sheath 14 and by means of part 12 or any suitable equivalent the point of the needle may be caused to penetrate tissues, stoppers or other materials. In sets such as this, it is necessary to control the flow of liquid through the bore of tube 10. This has heretofore been accomplished by a diversity of clamping structures. Such structureshave. frequently been expensive, difllcult to manipulate and/or presented problems in connection with assembly, packaging or adjusting with respect to the other elements of a parenteral set.

3,160,486 Patented Aug. 13, 1963 By means of the present teachings simple structures are provided which will present no difiiculties and which will efficiently control the liquid flow through tube 10 and interrupt that flow completely at the will of the operator. This clamp structure will be maintained as part of the set assembly against all possibility of accidental detachment and will at all times be readily available to the user. To this end and as shown in FIGS 1 to 4 the clamp conveniently embraces a sleeve 15 of vinyl or other suitable material with both of its ends unobstructed and an opening in its side wall. The opening in these views embraces a slit 16 extending diagonally of the tube axis and providing communication between the exterior of the tube and its bore.

In the assembly of the set and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the end of tube 143 is introduced into the bore of sleeve 15 and then passed through the opening defined by slit 16. While both the sleeve and tube are formed of flexible and somewhat resilient material the application of the sleeve will not constrict the bore of the tube 10 under normal conditions. Rather, as shown in FIG. 1, the hinge portion at the base of slit 16 will offer so little resistance to displacement of the stirrup part 17 of sleeve 15 beyond this slit, that the sleeve will extend angularly away from tube 10. Therefore, liquid will be free to flow through the tube.

However, should it be desired to terminate liquid flow then, by simply sliding sleeve 15 towards the hub portion 11 of the needle assembly and telescoping it thereover, tube It will be bent upon itself and kinked as shown in FIG. 2, so that no fluid may pass through the bore of tube It The internal diameter of sleeve 15 will be such that it will accommodate the end zone of the tube as ensleeved over hub portion 11 and the course of the tube which is reversedupon this portion. Under these circumstances, the reversed portion of the tube will be under slight compression so that its bore will be constricted. Of course as sleeve 15 is slid toward the needle assembly the operator may deliberately provide the reverse course of the tube so that a ready ensleevement occurs.

The same result is achieved where the body of the tube is reversed upon itself and disposed within the sleeve rather than having this reversed course occur adjacent the tube end as in FIGS. 1 and 2.. More particularly, as shown in FIG. 3, a portion of the tube may simply be bent or kinked to provide two tube courses with the bent end zone projected into the sleeve bore. So projected it will be maintained by frictional engagement of the parts. At the same time in the event an operator desires to again establish aliquid flow, this may readily be achieved by simply grasping manipulating part 12 and exerting a pull such that the tube portions within the sleeve as in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 are withdrawn from the bore of the latter. So withdrawn the constriction of the tubebore will no longer exist.

While in many respects it is preferred to make the opening through the sleeve wall in the form of a slit such as 16, other structures may be resorted to. For example, as in FIG. 5, sleeve 18 may be formed with a perforation 19 which in common with slit 16 is disposed adjacent the end of the sleeve. The diameter of this perforation should be slightly in excess of the external diameter of tube 10 so that the latter may be inserted therethrough for positioning of the clamp at any point along the length of the tube.

A sleeve of the type shown in FIG. 5 will thus assume a position upon the tube 10 as illustrated in FIG. 6. Obviously the tube may be kinked or bent upon itself as in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 in order that the sleeve may exert a proper clamping action thereon and prevent liquid flow. The same result is achieved in connection with the sleeve as shown in FIG. 7 in which instead of merely one perforation or hole a pair of openings are formed through the Wall of the sleeve. By thus forming the openings production costs are reduced. At the same time, the sleeve may be applied to the tube as in FIG. 6 in that the tube will merely pass into the sleeve bore and out one of the openings 21.

An alternative clamping action may be accomplished '"by sleeves of the type shown in 'FIG. and FIG. 7 by simply bending the tube immediately adjacent perforation 19 and projecting the tube bend into the sleeve 18 or sleeve 20 as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, respectively. Again, by exerting a pull on the tube parts the constriction of the tube bore will no longer exist. The bone of the sleeve forms of FIG. 5 and FIG. 7 may be slightly lubricated with a lubricant, such as silicone, to decrease the resistance of the sleeve to the thrusting force applied to the bent or kinked tubing.

Thus, among others, the several objects of the invention as specifically aio-renoted are achieved. Obviously numerous changes in construction and reacnrangement'of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims.

I claim:

1. In a parenteral set in combination a flexible tube ends and formed with an opening through its side wall at a point intermediate its ends, said opening presenting an area substantially equal to the diameter of said tube, said tube extending through one end of the sleeve bore and.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,224,515 Treacy May 1, 1917 2,689,563 Huber Sept. 21, 1954 2,753,869 Mufliy July 10, 1956 2,928,392 Burke Mar. 15, 1960 2,955,595 Semple Oct. 11, 1960 2,995,334 Henderson et al. Aug. 8, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 364,296 Germany Nov. 28, 1922 

1. IN A PARENTERAL SET IN COMBINATION A FLEXIBLE TUBE AND SLEEVE, THE LATTER HAVING A SINGLE BORE OPEN AT BOTH ENDS AND FORMED WITH AN OPENING THROUGH ITS SIDE WALL AT A POINT INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, SAID OPENING PRESENTING AN AREA SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF SAID TUBE, SAID TUBE EXTENDING THROUGH ONE END OF THE SLEEVE BORE AND SUCH OPENING AND BEING AXIALLY SHIFTABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID SLEEVE. 